South Korea mandates breaks for outdoor workers in deadly heat

SEOUL – South Korea will require outdoor workers to receive at least 20 minutes of rest every two hours when apparent temperatures exceed 33 deg C from as early as next week, the Ministry of Employment and Labour said on July 11.

The new rule – part of a revision to the occupational safety and health standards – was passed during a review by the Regulatory Reform Committee on July 11. It had been initially rejected in April and May over concerns that it would overburden small and medium-sized enterprises.

The revision was made following mounting criticism from labour groups and a surge in heat-related deaths among outdoor workers during the relentless and intense heat.

In recent days, more than 1,000 cases of heat-related illness have been reported – over twice the number recorded during the same period in 2024 – as record-high temperatures grip the country.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s heat-related illness emergency room surveillance system, 1,357 patients had visited emergency rooms by July 10 due to heat-related illnesses, with nine deaths reported.

The majority of cases, comprising 28.7 per cent of the total, occurred at outdoor workplaces such as construction sites.

On July 7, a Vietnamese day labourer in his 20s was found dead at an apartment complex construction site in Gumi, North Gyeongsang province.

The authorities suspect the cause of his death to be a heat-related illness, as his body temperature was more than 40 deg C when found. Gumi also saw daytime temperatures reach as high as 38.3 deg C on the same day.

On July 3, a Filipino seasonal worker in his 30s was found unconscious at a field in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang province. The worker was immediately taken to hospital, with medical authorities suspecting he collapsed due to heat-related illness.

As South Korea continues to break summer heat records year after year, the government has in the past emphasised three basic principles for responding to heatwaves – water, shade and rest.

The Labour Ministry has also recommended that all work outdoors be suspended during heatwaves – though such recommendations were not legally binding.

But according to workers, such guidelines were not properly implemented.

According to a study conducted by the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions in 2024, around 15 per cent of outdoor workers reported not receiving water on site and only 20 per cent of respondents indicated that they had been able to stop work during heatwaves.

“The problem behind Korea’s policies on working conditions for outdoor workers in summer is that they’re mere recommendations and are not legally mandated,” sociology professor Lee Byoung-hun from Chung-Ang University told The Korea Herald.

“Korea needs a legislated work stoppage system based on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index, similar to California, to effectively respond to heatwaves.”

The WBGT index mentioned by Prof Lee is a measure of heat stress in direct sunlight that considers temperature, humidity, wind speed and solar radiation and is used to assess the risk of heat-related illnesses during outdoor activities.

“Although Korea is seeing record-breaking summer temperatures every year, its protective measures for those working outdoors in the heat lag significantly behind other countries,” Prof Lee added, mentioning Greece as an example.

Greece recently saw temperatures reaching as high as 40 deg C, prompting the Greek government to order a temporary suspension of outdoor labour and delivery services in parts of the country, according to the Associated Press on July 7.

“Mandatory rest periods, wearing cooling vests as well as the installation of cooling equipment should be mandated by the government to make sure such working guidelines are properly implemented,” Prof Lee added. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK